Burton CEO John Lacy Will Leave Company After 29 Years of Service

The CEO of Burton got his start answering customer service calls. Now, after 29 years at the company, he’ll move on to the next chapter.

Lacy became CEO in February 2020. Donna Carpenter, the owner of the company and wife of founder Jake Burton Carpenter, will step in as the interim CEO. Lacy took over for Jake just months after he died in 2019. He was then forced to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the roller coaster that impacted the outdoor industry that followed.

“After nearly 29 years with Burton, John and Donna have come to a mutual decision that it is time for John to pursue his next chapter beyond his role as CEO,” a company spokesperson said in an email to Shop Eat Surf Outdoor’s Tiffany Montgomery, who broke the news. “He will remain with Burton through the end of June to support a smooth transition. No replacement has been named at this time.”

Lacy started with Burton in 1997 as a phone operator in rider service. He proceeded to work in “nearly every facet of the business,” as Montgomery put it. He worked in both product development and global sales, and was promoted to president in 2015. He was mentored directly by Jake before he passed.

“John came up through product and ultimately became chief product officer. As you know, Jake was obsessed with product, so if a zipper didn’t work the right way, he would call John into his office to ‘talk,’” Donna told SESO in a 2020 interview. “Let’s just say Jake was very detail-oriented in the product area. And what makes John a great leader is that he’s so open to learning. He just soaked up everything he could from Jake and at some point, I realized, ‘Hey, I think this kid wants to run this company someday.’”

In a 2021 interview with Vermont Business, Lacy said that being named the CEO was one of the biggest honors of his life.

“Empowering the company to create the next era for Burton will continue to be my main focus,” he said. “And working closely with Donna and her sons to protect the heritage of this incredible brand and sport we all love will be a privilege. The future is bright for Burton, and you can feel the commitment and energy from everyone who works here to build on what Jake started.”